But, you still do the deal 100 times out of a 100. This team has a chance to be better.... and they have as many tradeable prospects as anybody to get it done.
Dude would have been an improvement over Ricky Gutierrez, Tim Bogar, Jose Vizcaino and Julio Lugo. He was always hurt though and he definitely didn't have the range of most SS.
Meh... My guess is the Astros hold onto Martes, Tucker and Whitley and Fisher. The Astros get Gray from Oakland for a good package centered around Franklin Perez and some lesser discussed but good prospects and possibly an existing starter like Fiers/Musgrove....and then the Astros get a reliever like Wilson for a couple of guys right outside our top 5. Gray addresses our short term and long term needs. He isn't a #1 but could be very successful on the Astros.
I think with Carlos out I may see what it takes to get degroom and take on cespedes even though him and Carlos don't play the same position putting cesepdes in Carlos ' place in the batting order helps us with dealing with losing Carlos but if the price is too much don't do it, but if it's reasonable do it
What would it cost to get Verlander? He is 34 now and isn't he still owed a bit of money? I assume he'd cost a lot less than Gray would, but I'm not entirely convinced either one would be too much better than Morton/McHugh and even Fiers if he keeps pitching how he has been.
Exactly. Other guys could pop up before the trade deadline as other teams fall out of the picture too... But keeping those top prospects gives us a great chance for longevity. I could see Franklin Perez and another top guy leaving for Gray. Some of our top 6-10 guys are better than some #1 or #2's out there.
If I'm a betting man... I think we could get Verlander (but I think the Cubs get him) if Tigers take on most of his contract. His value will continue to diminish so shedding him right now for some return is probably the viable option for them. I think Verlander, Fulmer, Wilson, Miggy could fetch a great return and replenish that farm system drastically. Start to tank and get a top pick next year.
I told friends today... My optimal dream/reality scenario right now is Gray and Britton without giving up Tucker or Whitley. If we can do it without giving away Alvarez, even better.
Dude, nobody on this board is as much an expert as you. Well, except Bobby. In my expert opinion, you and Gray will wish he were pitching in Oakland if he ever faces the Red Sox in Fenway.
You can't approximate playoff performance on closing out the Mariners in July. If you have confidence in him game to game then great. I don't and I really don't have it for him in the playoffs. Maybe it's just something he'll have to get experience with to not be so erratic but I don't think we want someone feeling his way through it come October against the Red Sox in Fenway. Wagner was sort of like that early in his career and he got better so hopefully Giles can too.
Wow. First the O's listening on Britton and now the Reds on Iglesias. Iglesias and Devenski would be a devastating multi-inning combo.
Man I would feel a lot better if we could get one of those guys. Two top of the line late inning guys. One of deGrom/Gray/Smardzjia and one of Britton/Iglesias/Wilson and we're set. deGrom seems a little unrealistic. The price has gotta be nuts
You have an unrational fear of Fenway park. It's actually one of the more friendly/less intimidating venues in baseball. "Gray has a fear of Fenway... Giles has a fear of Fenway"... and apparently I'm the expert?
Another post about Fenway? Seriously? Apparently, You're somebody who will apparently never trust him till he does it then... presumably based on how he started last season. I suppose that's a form of analysis, but isn't taking much of his recent performance/improvement in "big games" into account. Wagner also never did much in the post-season... then again, he didn't have the Fenway curse to deal with!
This sounds very reasonable and the type of deals Luhnow would make. I would like another bat just to make a strength stronger, but sounds like Astros are going to fill internally there. I have been wondering about who goes off 25-man. Assuming two arms are added, that would likely mean Keuchel, McCullers, Peacock, McHugh, Giles, Harris, Devenski, Feliz, Morton, Martes, and Gregorson as the other 11 guys. I think Martes is going to be lights out as a reliever over the second half. Fiers and Musgrove are hard to fit in unless McHugh isn't recovered. Musgrove would be easy to send down if not traded and would be an easy guy to use in spots to give guys rest. Fiers is intriguing. Not a believer that he's as great as he was in June, but he looks valuable to a team like the Brewers (assuming no bad blood from trade) that need some luck and depth.
http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/20105143/what-dodgers-astros-looking-do-deadline Things are a little more complicated in Houston, where Luhnow has multiple pitching targets on his radar. But the combination of a thin market and Luhnow's high standards has clouded the picture. The Astros lead the American League in starter ERA (3.87) and batting average against (.241), and they have a pair of All-Stars at the top of the rotation. Dallas Keuchel showed that overpowering velocity isn't a prerequisite for October success against the Yankees and Royals in the 2015 playoffs. Lance McCullers Jr. provides a nice contrast with his power stuff from the right side, and the Astros have the latitude to reduce his workload down the stretch so that he can be fresh going into October. So who comes after that? "My guess is, if they get a starter, it will be someone who starts a playoff game for them,'' said an American League general manager. The Astros viewed former White Sox starter Jose Quintana in that light, but the Cubs snatched him away with a package of outfield prospect Eloy Jimenez and three other minor leaguers. Most of the other starters that Luhnow covets are either unattainable or cost-prohibitive in terms of the talent outlay required. Chris Archer isn't going anywhere with Tampa Bay in the wild-card hunt. The Toronto Blue Jays would move Marco Estrada, Nelson Liriano and possibly J.A. Happ, but Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez are off limits. The Detroit Tigers have made Justin Verlander available, but prefer to hang on to Michael Fulmer. For all the Julio Teheran speculation making the rounds, the Atlanta Braves are inclined to keep him because they regard him as part of the team's long-term future. Teheran has been only so-so this year, regardless. Gerrit Cole would require a huge prospect haul for Houston to make a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates, who are close enough to the wild card to dissuade them from becoming sellers. And baseball would officially freak out if the Texas Rangers traded Yu Darvish or Cole Hamels to Houston to help the Astros make a World Series run. If Luhnow can't land a starter, manager A.J. Hinch has several internal options. Maybe he goes with Mike Fiers, who's 5-2 with a 2.50 ERA since May 30. Or Charlie Morton, who has struck out 78 batters in 68⅔ innings. Or Collin McHugh, who returns to the rotation Saturday after missing 3½ months with an elbow impingement. The Cleveland Indians reached the World Series last year with a rotation so thin that Ryan Merritt came up from Triple-A to pitch against Toronto in the deciding game of the American League Championship Series. By that definition, Houston isn't in such dire straits. The Astros ultimately have to decide if Gray is enough of an improvement over their other starters to take a dive into the prospect bin. "Do you give up [outfielder] Kyle Tucker or [pitcher] Francis Martes for a small, marginal difference in that Game 3?'' said a scout. "I don't know. Do you give it up to get Britton? Maybe you do.'' Under a Plan B scenario, Luhnow has the option of strengthening the back end. If he can add Britton or San Diego lefty Brad Hand to a bullpen mix that includes Ken Giles, Chris Devenski, Will Harris and Luke Gregerson, five innings might be plenty. As the Royals and Indians have shown in recent years, all those off days in the schedule make it easier for teams to cobble together 12 outs a game in the postseason. Houston's offense gives the pitching staff lots of margin for error. The Astros lead MLB with 557 runs and a .500 slugging percentage. They've struck out a majors-low 634 times and rank 10th among the 30 clubs in stolen bases, so they're a different team than the strikeout-laden group that lost to Kansas City in the playoffs two years ago. That combination of power, contact and speed makes it tough to envision them being shut down in October, regardless of the opposition. "Run-scoring is definitely suppressed in the playoffs, but this team is going to score in the postseason,'' a scout said. "I don't think they need lockdown pitching with an under-2.00 ERA to win it.'' Like their fellow powerhouses in Los Angeles, the Astros have spent four months proving how good they are. Over the next 10 days, they'll have to decide the price they're willing to pay to get better.
Gray finished 3rd in the Cy Young 2 years ago. Anyone who doesn't think he's an upgrade at the SP3 is probably wrong. And I think Luhnow can get him without giving up Tucker or Whitley, which to me severely limits the downside.
LEts say Luhnow wants to blow the Mets away for DeGrom. Who says no? Astros get: SP Jacob DeGrom RP Addison Reed Mets get: OF Kyle Tucker SP Forrest Whitley SP Joe Musgrove SP Cionel Perez
